1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to containers and dispensers of small objects, such as pills, mints, candy, pellet type gum or the like, and particularly to an attachable, portable and easily accessible container and dispenser constructed of plastic or other similar materials.
2. Background of the Invention
In today's society, many people take pills once or several times a day to maintain their health. In addition, many individuals desire to carry mints, mint flavored gum, or other types of breath fresheners with them to keep their breath fresh when in the company of others. Since most people today are constantly moving from place to place, a pill, mint or gum container and dispenser should be available that can be readily carried in one's pocket or purse, or can be securely and removably attached to a person's key ring, belt, purse or briefcase strap, backpack strap or the like. The container and dispenser must also be operable to allow the insertion and removal of pills, mints or gum when necessary, and to hold the pills, mints or gum in the container as the container is transported from place to place. In addition, the container should have an aesthetic design to provide a decorative accessory, and be easy to use and inexpensive to manufacture.
The prior art fails to provide a pill, mint, gum, breath freshener or other article container and dispenser that provides all of the above advantages. U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,177 (the '177 patent) is directed to a case having a press-to-open dispensing closure, and discloses a container having a convex top wall with an aperture and a flexible arcuate surface adjacent the aperture. The top surface is selectively movable between concave and convex positions. A flexible aperture cover is also connected to the top surface by a hinge structure. The cover is closed when the top surface is in the convex position and open when the top surface is in the concave position. The '177 patent does not disclose a container and dispenser that has a loop portion integrally formed as part of the container and dispenser, that enables convenient carrying by removably and securely attaching the container to holding devices such as key rings, purses and backpacks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,945 (the '945 patent) is directed to a dispenser for storing and dispensing small objects, and a method of dispensing small objects with the dispenser, and discloses a dispenser housing with a dispensing aperture and a closure mechanism. The closure mechanism includes a button portion, a flap portion, a fulcrum extending into the interior volume of the dispenser and a portion secured to the dispenser housing. To open the dispensing aperture, a user presses the button portion causing the closure to bend and the flap to make contact with the interior fulcrum, causing the free end of the flap portion to move away from the housing and uncover the aperture. The user can then close the dispenser by applying pressure to the open flap to displace the flap portion towards the housing and the aperture. The '945 patent does not disclose a container and dispenser that has a loop portion integrally formed as part of the container and dispenser, that enables convenient carrying by removably and securely attaching the container to holding devices such as key rings, purses and backpacks.
U.S. published patent application No. 2005/0155873 discloses a thin plastic dispenser, of generally rectangular shape, for discharging toothpicks and/or mints through distinct discharge passages in the dispenser. The reference also discloses locking levers on the dispenser that can seal the discharge passages or alternatively open the passages to allow mints or toothpicks to be dispensed from the dispenser. However, the reference does not disclose a container and dispenser that has a loop portion integrally formed as part of the container and dispenser, that enables convenient carrying by removably and securely attaching the container to holding devices such as key rings, belts, purses and backpacks, nor does it disclose a container and dispenser having an oval-like shape.
US pending patent application No. 2004/0094567 discloses a tablet dispenser comprising a container body, a storage region, a dispensing outlet, and a passage between the storage region and the dispensing outlet. The reference further discloses a valve member and a stop member. The valve member is disposed between the storage region and the dispensing outlet, and movable between an open and closed position. The stop member is spaced from the valve to define a passage of a size to accommodate an item to be dispensed, and movable into and out of a closed position in which the stop member prevents release of an item to be dispensed through the passage. However, the reference does not disclose a container and dispenser that has a loop portion integrally formed as part of the container and dispenser, that enables convenient carrying by removably and securely attaching the container to holding devices such as key rings, belts, purses and backpacks.
It is evident that none of the prior art in the related field shows a container and dispenser having both a loop portion integrally formed as part of the aesthetics of the container and dispenser, enabling convenient carrying by attaching the container to a key chain or key ring, a belt or a backpack, and a dispensing door which provides easy access to objects held inside the container and dispenser.
Thus, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a container and dispenser that achieves the goals of easy accessibility of items such as pills, mints, gum and the like, and portability.